Vanessa Poulson is a managing editor, marketer, creative, campaigner, and activist. Her editorial and marketing leadership experience expands across creative and tactical teams, backed by creative con
Employees are Less Engaged: Here’s What Major Companies are Doing About It
Employee engagement initiatives are programs and activities designed to improve employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
They can take many forms, including:
Team-building events
Mentorship opportunities
Training and development programs
Skill-based volunteering programs
Recognition and reward programs
Wellness initiatives
When an organization lacks quality employee engagement focused programs, the business suffers. A disengaged employee costs an organization approximately $3,400 f...
DEI is Transforming Employee Engagement
2021 was the first year in over a decade where employee engagement dropped in the United States. By the second half of 2021, just 34% of workers reported being engaged in their job, leading to higher employee turnover rates and decreased employee development.
Disengaged employees are unsatisfied and disloyal because their workplace needs are going unmet. These employees cause 60% more errors and defects in work performance, and 73% of actively disengaged employees are on the lookout for new j...
There’s A New Source Of Funding For Society’s Most Pressing Challenges
Paul is the Founder & CEO of Givewith where he's transforming commerce into an engine for positive social change.
We’re already witnessing the fallout of Covid-19 in the strains on our healthcare systems, the widening socioeconomic divides and the increased barriers to basic necessities, including food, shelter and education. This, coupled with the Black Lives Matter protests across the nation, is forcing Americans to confront systemic issues of racism, inequality and injustice, giving rise t...
The State of "Women in STEM" - The CSR Initiative That Spans All of Big Tech Is Getting Bigger
Growing the number of women in STEM is an increasingly important CSR initiative. In this post, we're exploring how your organization can get in on the foundational wave of tech up-skilling while bolstering your CSR for investors, employee retention, and brand reputation.
Increasing the number of women in STEM careers is one of the most important issues within the Big Tech community, and beyond. Closing the gender gap in STEM is no easy feat, considering many roles are still heavily dominated ...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Chris Gale, Head of Social Impact, UK, eBay
Chris Gale leads eBay’s Social Impact work in the U.K, focusing on the role of e-commerce in driving positive social change and empowering economic opportunity across under-served communities.
We’re profiling Social Impact leaders to engage their insights into how CSR is transforming and growing, what inspired them to enter the field, and advice for others who either operate in or are looking to enter the space.
Chris Gale leads eBay’s Social Impact work in the U.K, focusing on the role of e-...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Lisa Boyd, Head of Social Impact at Lyft
We’re profiling Social Impact leaders to gather their insights into how CSR is transforming and growing, what inspired them to enter the field, and offer advice for others who either operate in or are looking to enter the space.
As a founding member and the leader of Lyft’s social impact team, Lisa Boyd has led the creation, launch, and growth of Lyft Up — a suite of initiatives focused on increasing transportation access and equity for low-income communities. She also kicked off Lyft’s compa...
DEI Innovators and Change Makers: Fatimah Gilliam, Author and Founder of The Azara Group
Fatimah Gilliam began her career as a corporate attorney on Wall Street, worked for Citigroup overseeing campus diversity recruiting for all its U.S. businesses, and oversaw corporate partnerships as the Head of Finance and Fundraising for North America for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning United Nations World Food Programme. Since founding The Azara Group, which provides diversity and inclusion, leadership development, negotiation, and strategy consulting services, she has advised Fortune 500 c...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Tuan Pham, Head of Social Impact at LinkedIn in APAC
Tuan Pham is the Head of Social Impact at LinkedIn in APAC. He has extensive work experience across the globe, specializing in driving social impact programs and partnerships in Australia, the US, Thailand, The Netherlands, and Vietnam – at companies including The World Bank, Booking.com, and Heineken. At LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, Tuan focuses on initiatives that connect professionals facing barriers, including women and youth in the APAC region, to the networks, ski...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Chair of Learning through Play at The LEGO Foundation
Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Ph.D. is the Chair of Learning through Play at the LEGO Foundation. As a Senior expert on how children and adults learn through play, Dr. Thomsen provides consultation at a bilateral, regional, and multilateral level to international partners and leaders. Dr. Thomsen advises international organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Economic Forum, World Innovation Forum for Education and UN General Assembly and governments across th...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Brandon Dorfman, Global Surface Specialist for Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft
Brandon Dorfman is the Global Surface Specialist for Tech for Social Impact, part of Microsoft Philanthropies, and is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of Microsoft Surface across the Nonprofit and International Government Organization sectors. The Tech for Social Impact group within Microsoft Philanthropies aims to accelerate digital transformation across three million nonprofits globally, so they can have a greater impact on the world’s most critical s...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Alejandra Lopez Global Go-to-Market Lead K-12 Education Programs at Amazon Web Services
It’s clear that longterm brand success is becoming more influenced by an organization’s ability to prioritize both people and profit. Social impact is a distinctive, growing field, with professionals and organizations championing opportunities for businesses to commit to doing better.
We’re profiling Social Impact leaders to engage their insights into how CSR is transforming and growing, what inspired them to enter the field, and advice for others who either operate in or are looking to enter...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Cheryl Timoney Vice President of Tech for Social Impact at Salesforce.org
Cheryl Timoney is the VP, Tech for Social Impact at Salesforce.org, helping change-makers realize the promise of technology to scale their missions and impact. Cheryl goes beyond traditional approaches to help drive strategic impact at the intersection of business and society. Prior to Salesforce.org, Cheryl led program teams in the nonprofit sector, building community solutions for economic and community development.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown in importance in recent yea...
Industry Leaders on the Current State of CSR
We had a conversation with three CSR industry leaders about the current state of CSR and how they expect it to continue to transform over the next few years.
The world of CSR and social impact is rapidly transforming. Whether it’s initiatives focused on up-skilling underserved communities, skills-based volunteering, or sustainability, CSR is encompassing a more diverse range of programming than ever before.
We had a conversation with three CSR industry leaders about the current state of CSR a...
Introducing The Impact 12
Thousands of large organizations around the world are working to create a positive change. They’re up-skilling communities, implementing skills-based volunteering programs among their team, and committing to long term sustainability initiatives.
We’ve identified twelve companies that are setting the standard when it comes to delivering real impact. Welcome to The Paragon One Impact 12.
How We Selected These Companies
These leading companies were selected through independent research conducted...
CSR Innovators and Change Makers: Michelle Baltrusitis Social Impact Manager at Fiverr
Michelle Baltrusitis is the Social Impact Manager at Fiverr. With a background in grant writing, teaching, and consulting, her most recent pivot brought her to the world of social impact in tech as she sought to bring the principles and frameworks she'd learned as a management consultant to purpose-driven programming and strategy creation.
As demands for social accountability rise, so do demands on those leading the way to a more socially and environmentally conscious future. We’re profiling ...